1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet film loading apparatus for taking out a sheet film from a magazine and loading the same into a cassette.
2. Statement of the Related Art
As an apparatus for loading an X-ray film into a photographing cassette, an apparatus has been proposed in which a sheet film is taken out by a sucking means and is loaded into a cassette (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 249833/1987). The arrangement of this apparatus is such that X-ray sheet films are classified by type and the classified X-ray sheet films are respectively accommodated in a plurality of magazines. The sucking means is adapted to such an end portion of a film accommodated in a selected magazine to take out the film. The film thus taken out is fed between a pair of feed rollers disposed at an entrance portion of the cassette so as to be clamped thereby. For this reason, the sucking means serves as both a film removing means and a film conveying means. However, a tail portion of the film is liable to be brought into contact with other parts located in the vicinity thereof until the film which has been taken out from the magazine by the sucking means is carried into the cassette, thereby imparting damage to the film.
In addition, another apparatus has been proposed in which after the sheet film inside the magazine is taken out by the sucking means, the sheet film is accommodated in a holding frame in an arcuate form. This holding frame is transferred to a position corresponding to a cassette so as to load a sheet film into the cassette (International Publication No. WO 06749/1988). With this apparatus, when the sheet film is taken out from the magazine and transferred to the cassette so that the sheet film is accommodated in the holding frame, the film is prevented from being damaged due to contact with other parts during the transfer. However, since a driving force for accommodating the sheet film into the holding frame and a driving force for sending the sheet film from the holding frame to the cassette are both effected by the sucking means, it is necessary for the sucking means to suck an end of the sheet film and, at the same time, insert the sheet film from one end of the holding frame and also take the sheet film out from one end of the holding frame at the time of sending it to the cassette. For this reason, in cases where a plurality of magazines are disposed in a vertical row, it is necessary for one end of the holding frame to be vertically movable in correspondence with all the magazines, resulting in an increased height of the overall apparatus.
The film supplying magazines that are mounted on such a film loading apparatus are generally films and are accommodated in the magazines in a dark room. On the other hand, in the case of magazines that allow the films covered in a special package to be accommodated in a lighted room, the magazine is first removed from the film loading apparatus, the cover is then opened, and the sheet films are accommodated in the magazine (refer to Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 184143/1984).
However, this type of magazine is generally very heavy due to a plurality of guide rollers and parts for shielding the interior from light are disposed inside. Accordingly, the operation of removing and reinstalling the magazine from and onto the film loading apparatus involves hard physical labor. In addition, the magazine is provided with a light shielding plate projecting from its intermediate portion so as to close an installation opening provided in the film loading apparatus when the magazine is reinstalled onto the film loading apparatus. As a result, when the magazine is placed on a work table, the magazine cannot be placed in a horizontal position. Therefor, any operation is carried out in an unstable condition.
In contrast, an arrangement has been proposed in which a sheet film carrier, capable of being drawn out at the time of accommodating the sheet films is provided in a film loading apparatus. (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 223741/1988). With this loading apparatus, since the sheet films can be accommodated without removing the heavy carrier from the film loading apparatus, hard physical labor can be alleviated.
This proposed loading apparatus, however, has a drawback in that since the sheet films need to be accommodated directly in the carrier, the sheet films can be accommodated only in a state in which they are covered with a special package that permits the films to be accommodated in a lighted room. In addition, since a plurality of carriers are usable only for films of specific sizes, the number of the types of films that can be used among a multiplicity of film sizes is restricted to the number of the carriers provided.